Crate.



W. BEEHLER.

CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1909.

Patented June 7, 19.10.

I45 f/z ass as a citizen of the United St-ates off-America,

WIILLIAIMBEEZVHILEB, or OWQSSQ1MICHIGAN, A$SIGNOR TO owosso M'ANUEACITUZIBING eo'nrl ng, OF owosso, MICHIGAN, A eonronuxon or vr'xonmm To it Be itfknown that' I, \VI'LLI'AM 'BEEHiiER,

residing at Owosso, in the-county of Shiaw'assee and. State of Michigan,. have inyented certain new and useful Improve- -ments in.Qra-tes, of which the? following is v a specification, reference being had the-rein [to the'accompanying' drawings,

and more particular-1y to a closure therefor in the form" 01 atoplor bottom membemand im''nt -of struction as will 'set forth; I the drawingskFigure -1 is a perspec consists "in the *noyel andsimplegconstruo a =t1 n- -of the closure, in the I parts, and 1h certain details of-con-.

culiar arrangebe more fully hereinafter 1' f tivesview of a closure-embodying my invention; Fig; 2 a isa vertical central 'sectionthriou h qt-he upper portion'ofa crate, showin'g t -e closure place;-Fig. '3' is a viewsimilar to Fig. '2, showing the closure in "a difierent osition and. Fig. 4 is a plan View. "In the' d ings Z) neartheir upper edges, in which openings the edge portions of the top or bottom ofthe crateare adapted to extend; B regresents the closure, which in this in- 'ha've shown in its preferred. form.

stance and also as constituting the crate cover or 'lidQ It' is composed of a {series of transversely a -linin'g strips, as 0,: preferably three 11; numbenunited by cross cleats, the cleats arranged preferably one at each end of the .series and one intermediatet-he ends, as illustrated. One of the end cleats D is united to each strip and projects beyond the sides of the series I forming the cover, forming projection's 0' that are adapted to engage the crate sidesand form a support for the cover. E represents. the intermediate cleat, also united to each of the strips; .F isa complementary end cleat-united to' each of the nected'from the inner strip G so as to perouter strips,-l as shown,' and being disconmit the end ortion of thel'atter from its extremity to t e intermediate'cleat to be depressed or moved transversely m'relatlon to the remainder of-the cover. Located upon v -;The invention" rel-ates generally to crates,-

rawings thus briefly described, 'A' represents the crate; which may be of any 2 approved construct-ion, preferably of thethe-extremity of this latterstr-ii -and out- II Speeification ot-LettersPa'tentl Patented June}, 1910. Application filed June-26,1909. Serial No; 504,478.

wa-rdly beyond't-he cross cleat' F is alocking.

imembe r H in'the form of a stop block adapted to en ageone ofthe'end barsII of the} crate be" 1 as hereinafter'set the cover-in position.

forth, to I lock The cover or ,clos'ureniember of length to "exceed the distance between the' inner I, I

edges of the end bars I. and J so as to per limit of the insertion of the cover ends within theuopening'sand the Width of .the cover is v such as to permit'cthe same to fit between the crate sides K and L. "The extremities of the cross cleat F project beyond thesides;

and' these projections, together. with the pro- 'jecti'ng portions of the cleat D, are adapted I to engage the side bars K and L of the crate body, forming a supporting means for the closure." In applying the coverto the crate, the

end portlon' of the closure carrying thestop v orlocking member is inserted within one of the end openings, as -B,-of the crate body, as indicated in Fig. 3. i Therc'ross cleatF limits the extent'of insertion, and is so positioned upon the strips as to bring the stop or locking member H beneath the end bar of the crate body, as shown. The cover or closure is then lowered, depressing the mor able portion of the strip G until the exten- 'sions or projections upon the strip D contact with the crate sides; A, lateral sliding movement is then given to the body until the strip D contacts with the bar J, this travel being sufficient to withdraw the sto 3 H- from beneath the bar I. The strip then resumes its initial positien in alinement with the other strips, forn 'ing the crate cover, and the locking meinbfei' adjoins thebar I, forming a stop, wh ch in connection with the cleat D locks\the cover against endwise movement. The method ofaremoval oi the closure will be obvious The spring stripcarrying the locking block or member is first depressechthe closure forced endwise in the direction of the locking block until the opposite end of the coveris free from the end bar of the crate, and then the cover withdrawn by a shifting movement in a direction opposite to the bar I-.

By constructing the crate and its cover so that the forward cross bar or cleat willyape proximate the end of the longitudinal strips .C and projectingends of the cleat F, a. support is formed for the entire; cover at the I locking end,-substanti ally-"as at'the opposite V end. Another advantage in' the employment of a single spring member with its locking block H is that the block is ositioned close to the cleat F which latter t ereby-serves as a-back stop for the block;

What I claim as my invention 'is,'--

1. In a crate, the combination with end parts provided with top cross barsand with openings therebelow, of a closure therefor comprising a plurality of slats-of'a length to project into both of said openings, a cleat rigidly secured to allof said slats. atone end of the closure and projecting .laterally beyond the same, saidcleatbeing adapted to lie in close proximity to one of the cross bars at the end of the crate when the .closure is in position, a cleat se uring the ends of the "outermost slats only t the other end of the closure, whereby,\the. intermediate slat is free toyield, a locking block carried bythe yieldable end of the lntermediate slat, one edge of said locking block being adapted to lie in close proximity to the adjacent top.

cross bar' at the end of-the crate when" the closure is in position, and the other edge of said locking block'being separated from the 7 adjacent cleat a distance less than the widthof said top cross bar at theend of the crate.

2'. In a crate, the, combination with. end parts provided with top cross bars and with I openings therebelow,'-' of a'closure-thereforv lcomprising a plurality of slats of a length to projectinto both of said openings, an

overlying cleat rigidly secured to the ends of all of said slats at oneend of the closure,-

said cleat being adapted to lie against Ioue T of the cross bars at the end of the crate when bar at the endof the crate when the closure is in position, ands. locking block carried' by the yieldable end of the intermediate slat,

and adapted to normallysubstantially fill the s ace 'between the cleat offtl e closure and t e adjacent top-bar attheend of the crate.

-both of said openings and qmposed' series of unifornislats, a c'l'eat' rigidly con closurea'nd projecting latera'lly'beyond the the closure only whereby the intermediate slatwis free to yieldthe ends of said cleat projecting laterally beyond the sides of'the fcured to all of said slats, and a cured to the yieldable portion "ofthe interlthe adjacent end deal: of the closure. I lrrltestimony whereof I afiix my signature in presencefof' two witnesses.

WVitnesses:

CALVIN P. BENTLEY,

FRANK S. BIDWELL.

mediate: slatoi thc closure and of a size. to normal] y substantially fill the space between ,v Y ;one of the end walls of the cratebody and being spaced from the adjacent top cross- 3. In a crate, a body havingop'enlngs in its opposite end walls near ,the "upper edges thereof, a closure of a length to project into nected toall of said-slats atone end'of the w same, a cleat at the other end ofitheclo sure rigidly connected to the -outermost slatsof closure, an intermediate cleat ri 'idly' se-v [WILLIAM 'iiitninqun. 

